The Hockey Nuts Podcast, Season 1, Episode 36 is live!

Coming up on this episode of the Hockey Nuts, Steve and I get you caught up with all of the action in Round 1 of the NHL Playoffs. We’ll break it down series by series. We will also make our predictions of who will win the individual awards before the finalists are named in the next several days. We’ll also discuss all of the other headlines of the week in a busy week of action around the hockey world. We’ll have all the details, plus the KHL playoff minute, and our picks of the week, coming up next!
THN Episode 36 Show Notes

Round 1 of the playoffs are well underway. Although no teams have been eliminated yet, there are some BIG upsets brewing around the league We’ll get you caught up on all 16 teams and 8 match-ups, then We will give you our predictions.

This show is a labor of love for us, but it does cost us money each month to produce. So, we are exploring options to allow you, our listener, to help us cover the costs of producing it. For starters, we have set up affiliate relationships with a couple companies. In the future, we may have more, but for now, you can support us through your purchases at Amazon.com and HockeyMonkey.com (Hockey Monkey is a hockey equipment provider). Your purchases there will not cost you a dime more, but a small percentage of your purchase will come back to us. In order to support us through our affiliates, simply go to our web site at TheHockeyNuts.com, and click on the appropriate affiliate link on the right side of the page. Coming soon: Seatgeek.com

Additionally, we are looking at ways to directly support us through a donation program. For now, if you would like to donate, go to thehockeynuts.com/donate and you will redirected to paypal.

Finally, if you can’t support us financially through one of the programs we just mentioned, you can support us through the following:

Share our show with other hockey fans you know.

If you have the itunes app on your computer or device, subcribe to our show there. It will help us rise up the rankings.

Speaking of itunes, we also encourage you to give us a review on itunes, as it will also help us get noticed more there.

Like, comment, and share our content wherever you see us on various social media pages.

Get involved with the show! We are just a couple hockey fans, and we love interacting with the audience.

Finally, we are looking for guest hosts to come on from time to time. If you feel you can provide more insight on your favorite team or league than we are, let us know! All you would need to join the show is a computer and Skype.

Toronto Maple Leafs defensemanRoman Polak will have surgery on his right leg Tuesday. The exact injury has not been disclosed and a timeline for his recovery has not been announced. Polak was injured in the second period of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Washington Capitals on Saturday when he collided with Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik. The Maple Leafs announced after the game Polak would be out for the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Polak’s right knee made contact with Orpik’s right knee, causing him to spin as he fell to the ice. As Polak landed on the ice, his right knee twisted awkwardly and his full weight came down on his right ankle. Polak stayed down for several minutes before being helped off the ice by teammates and members of the Maple Leafs training staff. In 75 regular-season games, Polak, 30, had 11 points (four goals, seven assists), a plus-10 rating and 65 penalty minutes averaging 17:55 per game. He played 23:52 in Game 1 against the Capitals.

Washington Capitals defensemanKarl Alzner will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury when they play the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Air Canada Centre on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports 2, CSN-DC). Alzner did not participate in an optional practice Tuesday and has not been on the ice since a 4-3 double-overtime loss to the Maple Leafs in Game 2 at Verizon Center on Saturday.

The status of the Bruins’ four injured defensemen hasn’t changed much. Colin Miller, out since sustaining a lower-body injury in Game 1, was the only one to participate in practice, and Cassidy said he is the closest to returning to the lineup. Brandon Carlo (upper body) skated on his own before practice and is doubtful for Game 4. Torey Krug (lower body) and Adam McQuaid (upper body) remained off the ice.

Columbus Blue Jackets rookie defenseman Zach Werenski will miss the rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after he cracked his right cheekbone in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference First Round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. Werenski, 19, was injured with 6:45 left in the second period when he was struck under his shield by a shot from Penguins forward Phil Kessel. Werenski immediately went down, was bleeding from his face, and went to the locker room. He returned for the third period with a full face shield, but his eye had swollen so much he couldn’t see and was unable to play in overtime. The Penguins won 5-4 to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. “It makes you sick just because you see him try to come back out and his eye’s swollen up between the third and overtime and you know he wants to come back out, and what guy comes back out in that situation?” Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno “I said to him, ‘I’m proud to be your teammate.’ “He’s a kid who exemplifies what we’re trying to build here, and it’s pretty impressive from a young guy. There’s lots of respect for that kid around the room, always has been. He’s such a big part of this team and it’s hard not to have him out there.”

Milestones/Records/Honors/Deaths:

Four Stanley Cup Playoff games were decided in overtime Monday, something that hadn’t happened since April 10, 1985, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks all won in overtime in the only four games on the schedule. It’s the third time in NHL history four playoff games went to overtime on the same day. The first time was April 11, 1980. On April 10, 1985, eight games — all Game 1 of division semifinal series — were played, and the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New York Rangers, the Washington Capitals defeated the New York Islanders, the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings, and the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Calgary Flames in overtime.

Dave Strader, who is calling games again after missing time while fighting cancer earlier in the season, has been named the winner of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster. Strader was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in May but returned as television play-by-play announcer for the Dallas Stars and NBC Sports in February. His 38-year career began in 1979 with the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League. He’s also worked for the Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers and Arizona Coyotes, as well as at ESPN, ABC and NBC. It also was announced that long-time hockey writer Cam Cole has been named the winner of the Elmer Ferguson Award for excellence in hockey journalism. Cole retired in 2016 after a 41-year career that saw him cover the Edmonton Oilers dynasty as the columnist at the Edmonton Journal, as well work at the National Post in Toronto and the Vancouver Sun. He covered more than 30 Stanley Cup Final series and 16 Olympics. Strader and Cole will be recognized at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto as Media Honorees. They will be honored during the 2017 Hockey Hall of Fame induction weekend Nov. 10-13.

Suspensions/Fines:

Edmonton Oilers forwardLeon Draisaitl will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Wednesday for spearing San Jose Sharks forward Chris Tierney. The incident occurred at 13:44 of the second period in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round at SAP Center on Tuesday. Draisaitl received a five-minute major for spearing and a game misconduct. The Sharks defeated the Oilers 7-0.

The National Hockey League Tuesday announced that the 2017 NHL Awards™ will return to Las Vegas to celebrate the League’s top talent from the 2016-17 season on Wednesday, June 21 at T-Mobile Arena. In addition, it was announced that the NHL Expansion Draft™, a special event revealing the initial roster of the League’s 31st team, the Vegas Golden Knights™, will be incorporated into the 2017 NHL Awards™. Televised live in the United States on NBCSN and in Canada on Sportsnet at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT, the 2017 NHL Awards™ will showcase hockey and Hollywood’s biggest stars with the excitement and energy that only Las Vegas can provide. As part of the program, the Golden Knights’ 30 selections in the NHL Expansion Draft™ will be revealed, providing the home fans – and national viewing audience – the opportunity to learn the initial composition of the team’s roster. The show will highlight team Majority Owner Bill Foley, General Manager George McPhee, Head Coach Gerard Gallant, as well as select players chosen by the Golden Knights, who begin NHL play in 2017-18. The 2017 NHL Awards™ will again honor the top individual regular-season performances in a wide range of categories, including most valuable player (Hart Trophy), outstanding goaltender (Vezina Trophy), outstanding defenseman (Norris Trophy) and outstanding rookie (Calder Trophy). The Ted Lindsay Award, which is presented annually to the “most outstanding player” in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), also will be awarded.

King Clancy Trophy (player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community Each team nominated 1 player) Wayne: Jordan Staal (Staal Family Foundation), Steve:

This show is a labor of love for us, but it does cost us money each month to produce. So, we are exploring options to allow you, our listener, to help us cover the costs of producing it. For starters, we have set up affiliate relationships with a couple companies. In the future, we may have more, but for now, you can support us through your purchases at Amazon.com and HockeyMonkey.com (Hockey Monkey is a hockey equipment provider). Your purchases there will not cost you a dime more, but a small percentage of your purchase will come back to us. In order to support us through our affiliates, simply go to our web site at TheHockeyNuts.com, and click on the appropriate affiliate link on the right side of the page. Coming soon: Seatgeek.com

Additionally, we are looking at ways to directly support us through a donation program. For now, if you would like to donate, go to thehockeynuts.com/donate and you will redirected to paypal.

Finally, if you can’t support us financially through one of the programs we just mentioned, you can support us through the following:

Share our show with other hockey fans you know.

If you have the itunes app on your computer or device, subcribe to our show there. It will help us rise up the rankings.

Speaking of itunes, we also encourage you to give us a review on itunes, as it will also help us get noticed more there.

Like, comment, and share our content wherever you see us on various social media pages.

Get involved with the show! We are just a couple hockey fans, and we love interacting with the audience.

Finally, we are looking for guest hosts to come on from time to time. If you feel you can provide more insight on your favorite team or league than we are, let us know! All you would need to join the show is a computer and Skype.